The month of October was a rainy one. Grover and Juniper Underwood were only able to work out doors intermittently, whenever the sky was clear. Rain was beneficial for the newly planted seeds but it made their wool clothes heavy and uncomfortable.
Farmer Underwood's barnyard was a busy, noisy building sight all through the month. The roofs of the cowshed and the pig pen needed repair.
Between rain spells, Leo watched Farmer Underwood go into the fields to cut bracken with which to re-thatch the roofs. Juniper waved to Leo whenever he spotted her going to henhouse to gather eggs or into the garden to gather whatever salad greens were left that time of year, such as garden rocket.
Harley was called upon to help the Underwoods drive their pigs into the nearby wood so they could fatten up on acorns prior to being slaughtered. The boy ran after the pigs with a stick to keep them from running off. Juniper kept them in line by flapping her skirts. The two of them also stopped to gather mushrooms along the way. Grover shot whatever rabbits he came across and brazenly walked back into town with them slung over his shoulder. His crooked smirk challenged anyone to charge him with poaching.
One afternoon, when Harley returned to the forge from gathering warden pears in Widow Pomona's orchard, he pounded on the door to get Leo's attention.
"Hey, boy," Leo said, pounding a crowbar into shape on his anvil. "What's the matter?"
"A wagon broke down on the main road," Harley replied. "One of the wheels lost its hub and bearings. I said I was apprentice to the local blacksmith and they sent me to fetch you."
"Let me get what I need and you can show me where it is."
Leo dropped the crowbar into a bucket of cold water and put down his hammer.
"How big is the carriage?"
"Big!"
He shook his head and put several different sizes of carriage wheel hub and bearings, and a wrench into a basket.
The carriage was a large, elegant, black Berlin coupé. A large bird cage was strapped to its back and two footmen were holding the loose wheel in place.
Leo passed a girl who was leaning against a fence underneath a tree. She was a gentile young lady, judging by her clothes: a blue redingote worn over a white petticoat and fichu. Her head rested on one arm while the other lolled in her lap. Wisps of caramel colored hair were pulled back by gauzy cap, topped with a large black hat.
Leo noticed that she had nodded off, so he tried his hardest not to disturb her as he went about repairing the wheel.
The young lady made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a yawn. She sat up and stretched out her arms.
"Townsend," she called to one of the footmen. "Is the wheel fixed yet?"
"Not yet, Miss," Townsend replied. "But just about."
Leo turned the wrench one last time to take sure the bearing was secure.
"There," he said. "You're all set to go, Miss."
He stood up and brushed the dirt off of his breeches.
"Thank you," the young lady replied. She tossed him a sixpence coin and Townsend helped her into the carriage.
"Where you heading?"
"To Skye Castle."
"You're a guest of His Grace?"
"So it would seem."
"Do you know the Olympus family well?"
"If you'll excuse me, I'm already late enough as it is...drive on."
She signaled for the driver to continue.
"Alright, Sunshine. I apologize for trying to be polite."
The carriage rolled away towards the castle, it's horses kicking up dirt in Leo's direction.
On Sunday morning, Leo fried up some bacon and eggs for himself and his father. The eggs and bacon were served with bread, butter, and cheese. After a leisurely breakfast, they attended church.
Reverend Chiron preached a sermon on Proverbs 31: verses 1-9:
"The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more. Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy."
Leo wondered what His Grace, were he present, instead of shut up in his gaudy Papist chapel, would think of this sermon on chastity, temperance, and charity: three virtues the Duke was not known for.
Perhaps the lovely young lady whose carriage wheel he had fixed, was the Duke's latest mistress. He certainly had some gall to install his mistress under the same roof as his wife, especially when that mistress was young enough to be his daughter. Maybe this was why she was so short with him when he asked about where she was going.
Leo had promised to drop by Skye Castle after church in order to begin construction on the sets for A Midsummer Night's Dream. He knocked on the door of the servants' quarters and was shown to the ballroom, which had been turned into a building site.
The walls of Skye Castle's ballroom were painted teal with white moldings trimmed with gilt. It's ceiling had been etched in gold with Moorish geometrical patterns.
Stacks of wood and boxes of nails took up the far end of the ballroom.
Miss Chase was waiting there for him. Leo greeted her with a slight bow.
"Hello, Mr. Valdez," she said. "I have the plans for the set."
She carried a large sketchbook and opened it to a page with a design for something which resembled a Grecian temple. The different pieces were designed to fit around the ballroom's Corinthian columns. Miss Chase had provided the necessary measurements next to each part of the design, so all Leo needed to do was cut and assemble the pieces.
The rest of the cast joined Miss Chase in the ball room to rehearse. Dona Reyna, a tall, dark-haired, dark-eyed, Spanish beauty, recited Helena's lament. Miss Lesvesque performed a marital quarrel between Oberon and Titania with a bulky, young Chinese man who was a servant to the Duke.
Leo measured and cut large pieces of wood which were to be painted to look like Grecian statues. He thought about how Miss Levesque was going to use her artistic talents to bring his plain wooden sets to life. Like Titania, the Fairy Queen, waving her magic wand and creating a fantasy world out of nothing.
"We've still yet to find a Bottom," Miss Levesque said. "How can we go with the show when we're missing one of our central characters?"
"I can write to Mr. Dakota," Dona Reyna added. "And see if he's willing to take the part."
"I have had a most rare vision," Leo began reciting one of the speeches he had memorized while at his forge. "I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was: man is but an ass, if he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was, - and methought I had, - but man is but a patched fool, if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report, what my dream was."
Miss Chase smiled and clapped.
"I see you not only have a talent with wood and iron," she said. "But with speeches as well."
"I've been reading the play before bed every night and memorizing parts of it I like to help pass the time while I'm working."
"A blacksmith reciting Shakespeare over his forge, how charming."
"We've been looking for a Bottom," Miss Levesque added. "Now here he is."
"Do you think that would be appropriate?" another voice joined in. Leo noticed that the haughty young lady whose carriage wheel he had fixed was sitting in the corner, embroidering a long table runner. "A common laboring boy acting with you?"
"Zhang and Solace are among our company, so why not?"
"A common laboring boy?" Leo said, "A common laboring boy who saved your neck. Did she tell you that I fixed a wheel on her carriage?"
"You never said that met with an accident on your way here, Miss Titan." Miss Chase turned to look at Miss Titan.
"One of the wheels of my carriage fell apart," Miss Titan said. "We sent a passing boy to find someone who could fix it, and he found this blacksmith."
"Surely a fine lady like yourself would have enough manners to be more grateful."
"What would a rude mechanical like yourself know about proper manners?"
"Mr. Valdez is as gallant as any gentleman," Miss Levesque added. "He came to my aid when my horse lost his shoe and agreed to help build these sets during his free time."
Leo blushed. He was touched that Miss Levesque could come to his defense.
Leo's first task was to cut out the different set pieces. When they were painted, he would return to assemble them, but he was finished for that day.
Leo was half way to the servant's entrance, when he realized that he had left his hammer behind in the ballroom. To get to the ballroom, he had to walk by the drawing room. He walked past Zhang, the Chinese, carrying a tea tray. Zhang put the tray down on a table in front of the chair where Miss Levesque was seated.
She poured herself a cup of tea and added a dash of cream.
"Mr. Zhang," she said. "Have I ever told you why I don't take sugar in my tea?"
"I thought it was simply a personal preference," Zhang replied.
"Do you know where sugar comes from?"
"I believe it's grown and produced in the West Indies, Miss."
"On plantations, worked by faces that look like mine. That's why I refuse to take sugar in my tea."
"Tis a noble choice."
"I thought I'd tell you something I've never told anyone else."
"And why is that?"
"So you'd be obligated to tell me something in return."
"Like what, Miss?"
"Have you been leaving me notes and flowers?"
Zhang's face turned bright red and he lowered his eyes.
"I knew it." Miss Levesque stood up and kissed him on the cheek. "I saved every one of your flowers and notes. They're sweeter than anything with sugar in it."
"I'm happy you liked them, Miss."
"I've been waiting for you to declare yourself for some time now. I can tell that you've been too nervous to do so, but you don't have to be. You're a true gentleman and any lady would be lucky to have your esteem."
She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him.
Miss Titan walked past Leo, her swishing skirts brushed against.
"What are you doing here?" She said. Her large, brown eyes glared at him and her pretty, button nose was wrinkled in disgust.
"I left my hammer in the ballroom," Leo replied. "I had to go back and get it."
"Then why are you loitering outside the drawing room?"
"I don't see how it's any of your business."
"You were eavesdropping on someone."
Miss Titan peaked into the drawing room and saw Miss Levesque kiss Zhang.
"They make a sweet couple, don't they."
The Underwoods invited Leo to have dinner with them that evening. Juniper had cooked a meal of rabbit pies, a salad of beets and garden rocket, sautéed mushrooms, and a warden pear tart.
As usual, the cooking was first rate. Juniper made a pretty picture, serving her guests in her Sunday best: a white muslin frock, fichu, and cap, and a black knitted scarf tied across her chest.
The good food and good company succeeded in cheering Leo up after the day he'd had: being scoffed at and humiliated by Miss Titan. What right had the wretched girl to look down on him, especially when, for all he knew, she was some home-wrecking courtesan. At least he had gone to Skye Castle to do honest work, instead of be a married man's play thing.